The exhibition is organised by The Lithuanian Art Museum, Trieste Contemporanea, The Polish Institute in Vilnius, The French Institute in Lithuania, the Lithuanian Culture Research Institute and the art magazine Krantai.
The curators Gabriella Cardazzo, Giuliana Carbi and Helmutas Šabasevičius have chosen photos from Stefan Okołowicz’s archive. Together with Ewa Franczak, Okołowicz published a photobook called Against Nothingness. Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz's Photographs.
The photobook was published almost fifty years after the death of its subject and the author of the photographs published within. The album is an interpretation as well as artistic and historical study of Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz’s trailblazing catalogue of photographic works. Against Nothingness is the result of cutting-edge work done on the archive left behind by the writer, painter, and philosopher. The archival, research, and curatorial work was carried out by Stefan Okołowicz and Ewa Franczak, who became the custodians of a large part of the artist's archive.
The exhibition will be accompanied by events concerning Polish culture, mostly works of Witkacy.
At 11am on 25th September, there will be a seminar about Witkacy’s work with the participation of academics including Milada Ślizińska (Academy of Fine Arts Warsaw), Przemysław Strożek (Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences), and Giuliana Carbi (Trieste Contemporanea).
Following the opening of the exhibition, a film will be screened, Lovelies and Dowdies by Ken McMullen, featuring rare glimpses of Tadeusz Kantor and his CRICOT2 theatre group in live performance.
For the last event on 26th September at 5pm, the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre will stage The Shoemakers, one of Witkacy's most renowned plays.